NEWS ARCHIVE

Central Florida residents working to prevent the spread of Zika virus

Florida has been the center of the Zika outbreak, and now, homegrown cases of the virus are creeping closer to Central Florida. WESH 2 News spoke with a doctor about what residents need to do to be prepared.

Florida has been the center of the Zika outbreak, and now, homegrown cases of the virus are creeping closer to Central Florida.

WESH 2 News spoke with a doctor about what residents need to do to be prepared.

The latest numbers show nearly 596 travel-related Zika cases across the state and 56 non-travel-related cases.

Orange County leads the way, with a total of 68 cases, all travel-related, but that could change.

"When it comes to Zika, we should all assume that it's already here. Whether it's travel-related or non-travel-related," said Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, The PUR Clinic co-director.

Brahmbhatt said for most people, if infected, the Zika symptoms will be gone in a few weeks. But for women who are looking to get pregnant or for women already pregnant, the threat is more serious because it can cause serious birth defects. His best advice is to postpone pregnancy, if possible.

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"We don't want people to be scared of getting pregnant. We just want them to be cautious," Brahmbhatt said. "If you look at stats, very few people will be infected with Zika and even fewer fetuses. They estimate 1 to 13 percent will be infected with the Zika virus."

In South Florida, they have started aerial spraying of insecticides to try to reduce the mosquito population. Brahmbhatt said it seems to be working.

Experts advise residents to cover up as much skin as possible when outside, remove all standing water around homes, travel smart and invest in insect repellent with DEET as its active ingredient.